Don't Mess With My Family

Rarely if ever do I talk about my personal life on these pages. Yes, I allude to certain inane and mundane things in my life, I mention my son and wife at times, and talk in generalities about having a family. Tonight I am going to get personal. How does this tie into the education debate? You shall see.

Yesterday my wife went to see her doctor. She had been battling a cold most of the week and was wheezing. The doctor explained that her blood oxygen level was quite low, she has asthmatic-bronchitis, and she must get to the ER immediately.

So we arrived at the ER and spent most of the day there. At around 5 PM she was given a CT scan of her chest and it was noticed that her lymph nodes in her lungs were showing. This was not originally considered to be a big deal especially since pneumonia was added to the list of what was ailing her. But anyway, she was admitted.

This morning when I spoke to her to informed me they have noticed a slight enlargement in her Spleen and wished to take a further CT scan. This time it showed lymph nodes on her stomach. When the radiologists report was finally sent to her attending physician the dreaded word, lymphoma was on the report.

Now already having lost my mother to ovarian cancer 29 years ago and my father to pancreatic cancer two years ago one can imagine what must be racing through my brain, let alone my wife's brain. I really don't need to go through this shit again.

But I have decided that if the worse case scenario occurs that my priorities are my wife, her health, my son, and his well being. I thought long and hard about it. In 1997 before God I took a vow to be there for my wife. In 2001 when my son was born I told him that daddy will always be there for him.

I am in a pickle. If God forbid the worst happens, wouldn't I need to take days off, leave early, come in late? Hmmm, let's see. Family or students, students or family? Hmmm. Whom shall come first in my life?

Even Bill Gates bottom bitch Little Evan Stone would say I am a no goodnick if I do not put my students first. That I will be a bad and incompetent teacher if I take many days and/or am late, even in such a circumstance as I describe.

Even in E4E's infamous white paper on teacher evaluations the brainless authors want to give
5% demerits for a lack of professionalism and/or poor attendance

The white paper also says;

Teachers are professionals: we work hard and we take our careers seriously. High standards for attendance

Yeah, I do take my career seriously. But I take my family much, much, much more seriously. Family comes first, then my God, then my morals and ethics, then friends, then my country, then my job. Sorry, that is just the way it is.

Some tool had an idea in the white paper;

If teachers are absent more than the allowed number of sick days, for example, they should lose points on the evaluation

I swear, this demerit idea won't work. Ralph Kramden once tried to have Alice on a demerit system and she told him to blow it out his fat ass.

Anyway, so seriously, what of someone in my situation? I hope, I PRAY, I am putting the cart way ahead of the horse, but I like to be prepared, know my options, know what I am dealing with.

One thing I always hear is that in the "real world" the private sector that you will be fired on the spot for poor attendance. That you just can;t take days off willy nilly.

I call bullocks! My cousin, may he rest in peace, had bile duct cancer. Not at anytime did he need to worry about his pay nor his health benefits. He worked for a law firm and not once did they ever reduce or dock his pay. In fact, he was kept on payroll the entire time of his illness. Even whene he was getting chemo treatments and could barely get out of bed for weeks. Even when he knew the end was coming.

So all I can say if the worse case happens is FU Uncle Mike, the DOE and all you Ed Deformers out there. My wife and my son will always come first.

I pray, I hope that things will be OK.